TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT: THE CASE OF THE HELDERBERG MUNICIPALITY

BY

NONTSIKELELO NTLEBI

A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ADMINISTRATION. SUPERVISOR: DR K.J. MAPHUNYE. 13 MARCH 2003.

TABLE OF THE CONTENTS

Dedication…………………………………………………………………………….i

Declaration. …………………………………………………………………………. ii

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………..iii

Definition of terms and abbreviations used…………………………………………iv-vi

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………..vii-viii

CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………1

1.1 THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM………………………………………5

1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………..6

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY………………………………………………..14

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………………………………………………..15

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY……………………………………………..17

1.6 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY……………………………………………17-18

CHAPTER TWO

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE

HELDERBERG MUNICIPALITY

2.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...19

2.2 IDENTIFICATION OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS………….20

2.3 TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS………………………………………………....23

2.4 PLANNING TRAINING PROGRAMS…………………………………………..25

2.5 PROCEDURES AND METHODS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT…...27

2.6 SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………….31

CHAPTER THREE

3. THE BUDGET OF THE TRAINING DEPARTMENT

3.1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………..32

3.2 BUDGET FOR THE HELDERBERG MUNICIPALITY JUNE 2001-JUNE 2002.32

3.3 SUMMARY…………………………………………………………………………34

CHAPTER FOUR

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

4.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………….35

4.2 REASONS FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT…………………………….41

4.3 MEANS BY WHICH EMPLOYEES CAN BE DEVELOPED…………………….42

4.4 TYPES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT…………………………………..43

4.6 SUMMARY…………………………………………………………………………46

CHAPTER FIVE

5. CONCLUSION: EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS

5.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….47

5.2 WEAKNESSES IN IDENTIFICATION OF TRAINING NEEDS……………..47

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………..52

5.4 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………..54

5.5 APPENDIXES…………………………………………………………………...56

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate my Research Report to Zola Ntlebi (my-son) for trying his

atmost best in helping me during my academic years of studies. I would also like to

dedicate this paper to Mrs. Thobeka Ndinisa who contributed towards my studies.

AND

To the following families and friends who passed away during my academic years at the

University of the Western Cape. They are:

Bonisile Dywili (my child’s father),

Mrs. N. Nongauza (Mom-khulu)

Mr. T. Nongauza (Tam-khulu)

Mr. S. Kotelo (my -uncle)

Mr. J. Lebajoa (my-brother- in-law)

Mhimhi Nongauza and Nothemba Lebajoa (cousins)

Cikizwa Klaas my friend who recently passed away when I was busy with my first

chapter of this research.

“ May their Souls rest in peace.”

i

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work except where due

acknowledgement is made with full references in the text and that it contains no material

previously published or written for any other degree or diploma of a university or other

institute of higher learning.

NONTSIKELELO NTLEBI

Signature…………………………Date…13-03-2003

NONTSIKELELO NTLEBI

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank “Lord” for his best helped when I was busy with my Research

Report. I would also like to thank all those who have contributed in all my academic

years up to the completion of this Research Report.

I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. K.J. Maphunye, for his guidance, patience and

tolerance throughout the study. Let me thank the Helderberg Municipality in Strand

especially the Training Department for their positive co-operation in my research. Further

I extend my sincere thanks to Dr. H.J.P. Van der Westhuizen, Prof. C.J.J. Mphaisha, Dr

Nazeem Ismail and Ms Z. Thomas for their contribution.

Many words of thanks to the family of Majavu (Lucky and Nokhuselo) who offered me a

place to stay when I was busy with this Report, also goes to all members of my family

and my friends Pumla Ndinisa, Nontle Beja, Andile Dywili, Lunga Malindi, Pumla

Matyatya, Nolili Brukwe, Vuyisile Moi and Chareen Mathope for their support and

encouragement.

My sincere thanks to these special people:

Ms B. Williams, Ms H. Primo, Ms T. Siyo (Pepeteka)

Mr. S. Mbityo and Mr. A. Mxinwa.

Finally, I also thank Canon Collins Educational Trust for Southern Africa for their

financial support.

iii

DEFINITION OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED

Constitution: the basic or fundamental law of a country (or organization, society, civic)

which outlines the general structure of power such as Parliament, the Presidency and

national, regional and local forms of government.

Development: is the process of improving the quality of all human lives and usually

include training and education (Fox and Meyer, 1995).

EE = Employment Equity. ETD = Education, Training and Development. ETQA’s = Education and Training Quality Assurers.

Functionary: is any public worker (official or office-bearer) who performs specific task

given to her/him by his/her supervisor or by provision of laws and regulations.

HRIS = Human Resource Information System.

Implementation: actions to put into operation policy or programs, which result in the

creation of links in the contingents chain to attain the objectives envisaged. Policy is

expressed in theories, which indicate a chain of cause between the original circumstances

and future effects. Policy become plans when the original circumstances are created by

means of government actions. Programs make the theories optional by forming the first

link in the contingent chain linking action to objectives (Fox and Meyer, 1995).

iv

Institution: a number of role players who have a special relationship to one another and

jointly and regularly perform certain functions. A public institution is therefore the joint

operation of a number of public roles (legislative, executive and judicial) to perform

certain functions for the government and for society (Fox and Meyer, 1995).

Local government: a local democratic unit within the unitary democratic system whose

officials are subordinate members of the government vested with prescribed, controlled

governmental powers and sources of income to render specific local services and to

develop, control and regulate the geographic, social and economic development of

defined local areas.

NQF = National Qualifications framework

NSA = National Skills Authority

Official: an employee of a public institution, usually appointed and not elected. Political

office-bearers are usually elected to office, or nominated by the State President.

Public sector: that portion of an economy whose (economic and non-economic)

resources are under the control and direction of the state. The state owns all resources in

this sector and uses them to achieve whatever goals it may have e.g. to promote the

economic welfare of the ruling elite or to maximize the well being of society as a whole

(Fox and Meyer, 1995).

v

Public service: refers to people employed by the public sector, including departments

and administrations of central, regional and local government. This includes former own

and general affairs administration, provincial administration, local authorities, SGT and

TBVC administration (Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

PSC = Public Service Commission.

SAQA = South African Qualifications Act.

SDA = Skills Development Act.

SDLA = Skills Development Levies Act.

SETA = Sector Education and Training Authorities. TBVC= Transkei, Bophutatswana, Venda and Ciskei

Training: refers to extension of knowledge for the specific purpose of filling a given

position and to effectively perform the work involved.

Transformation: the process of a system that changes inputs into outputs: the movement from one position to another (Fox and Meyer, 1995). WSP = Work Skills Plan

vi

ABSTRACT

Training and development is an important issue in South African Local Government.

These are related concepts. However, more emphasis is placed on training in this research

report. Several authors argued that the majority of South African workers need new or

significantly expanded skills to keep up with the demands of their jobs. Employee

training and development (T&D) is seen as a key factor in meeting the employer’s

strategic, business and operational goals. Others mentioned that the people who work in

the public sector must constantly strive to act in a way that will lead to improvement of

the quality of service delivery by public institutions. They also mentioned that training is

aimed at the practical application of knowledge as well as the development of specific

behavior patterns, attitudes and motives with a view to realizing goals

(Carrell et al., 1999). The population increase leads to the expansion of organizations and

their responsibilities. The changing constitutional and political dispensation of South

Africa demands certain amendments and changes to be made by organizations. Increased

pollution and shortage of natural resources demand certain strategies. The shortage of

trained manpower causes higher demand to be made on the available manpower. All

these shows needs and demands for training and development. Cloete and Mokgoro

(1995:91) argued that the new government would have to rely heavily on the public

service to implement new policy and facilitate development. They added that the council

should develop broad guidelines for public sector training. Further these would relate to

current and future human resource needs for the public service. In addition, such a policy

would set standards for trainers and training programs

(Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

Vii

Training and development needs are examined in this research report to see how the

Helderberg Municipality (Western Cape) has conducted its training. The study aims to

identify the key obstacles for effective training. Some authors suggest that the simplest

method of conducting a training survey is to go around asking managers and supervisors

what they think are the training priorities in their department. The result obtained may be

subjective but as long as the surveys are analyzed carefully, they would prove a useful

starting point for analysis. The literature also suggests that the management and

supervisors must feel involved from the beginning.

This study focuses on the Helderberg Municipality. The researcher relied on the literature

to gain more information about training and development, especially in the South African

situation. Some interviews were conducted in the Helderberg Municipality. The study is

based on both qualitative and quantitative methods. This researcher used the qualitative

methods because she considered them as useful and that they would give her a wider

scope. By contrast, the quantitative method would be useful hence figures are also

provided. Some interviews were conducted with the Training Manager of the Helderberg

Municipality. The study could help the Helderberg Municipality to rectify its weaknesses

and deal with their current challenges of training and development. Policy makers and

consultants could use the results of this study to formulate policies for municipalities.

Lastly, students could also benefit from this study by using it as a source of reference.

Viii

CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

Gerber et al. (1987:214) argued that training and development are the responsibility of

the enterprise, if it wants to ensure that employees are competent and motivated. They

mentioned that in South Africa, in particular, human resources managers are faced with

great challenges. This is because the employment situation in South Africa is unique: on

the one hand there is a serious shortage of skilled employers and on the other hand, a high

rate of unemployment prevails among unskilled employees. South Africa is therefore

faced with an enormous challenge in bridging the gap between the lack of productivity

among lower-level workers and the need to be highly productive particularly at this level

of employment. Training is the means by which this can be achieved. Gerber et al. added

that training and development form a unit because they are totally interrelated

(Gerber et al., 1987). From the literature, several authors (e.g. Gerber et al.) use the term

training and development interchangeably. However, this research report (whilst

acknowledging this link) emphasizes more on training.

Byars and Rue (1994:216) mentioned that training is a learning process that involves the

acquisition of skills, concepts, rules, or attitudes to increase the performance of

employees. In addition they argued that economic, social, technological and

governmental changes significantly influence the objectives and strategies of all

organizations. Changes in these areas can make the skills learned today obsolete in the

future. Planned organizational changes and expansion can make it necessary for

employees to update their skills or acquire new ones (Byars and Rue, 1994).

1

For Cloete and Mokgoro (1995: 31) the concept of “development” remains imprecise.

Development is the promotion of self-reliance and self-sufficiency, equitable and

sustainable. Development requires factors such as economic growth, equity, capacity,

authenticity and empowerment. They mentioned that the structural, organizational and

ideological context in which a restructured training strategy will be established should be

carefully considered, as this will affect the long-term viability, effectiveness and

relevance of the training to be offered. They also stated that programs will have to train

people who can move into existing public service structures, while at the same time

developing an ethos and training for a future non-racial, democratic public service

(1995:92).

In addition the most effective training mechanism in the public service is the induction of

new personnel into the ‘culture’ of the public service, in terms of establishing set

procedures and approaches to issues. This culture or ‘way of doing’ will be far more

difficult to counteract than any specific type of training. Affirmative action in the public

service may thus change the racial composition of the upper management levels but not

necessarily the manner in which they operate. In this context, affirmative action policy

should be linked to structural change, with a specific emphasis on organizational culture

(Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

Du Toit and Van der Waldt (1997:20) argued that the people who work in the public

sector must constantly strive to act in a way which will lead to the improvement of the

quality of service delivery by the public institutions. In other words efficient

2

administration in the sense of the achievement of objectives, the economical use of

resources and reasonable and fair distribution of resources between group and projects

must be pursued. In addition, no institution can function efficiently without suitably

trained personnel. One of the measures for increasing efficiency in public institutions is

to enhance the quality of the personnel members through creating opportunities that will

result in a greater degree of professionalism among officials. Du Toit and Van der Waldt

also mentioned that in a country such as South Africa, resources are extremely limited

and it is of cardinal importance for managers to utilize existing resources more

effectively in order to achieve greater satisfaction. The public sector also has an

obligation towards the public to increase the general welfare. Consequently, the public

expects the best possible management process and services from public institutions. The

demands and standards for effective action are therefore constant and officials have to

adapt to this. The necessity for training and development in this context is obvious. In

addition, training may be formal or informal; it must be scientifically founded and be

presented in an orderly manner. Training and education culminate in development.

Therefore development is the progress of an individual after training and depends on

him/her (Du Toit and Van der Waldt, 1997).

Craythorne (1997:322) argues that development is more objective, and that it flows out of

and extends beyond motivation, because by development, the leadership of the

organization seeks to take the latent talents that exist and provide the means whereby they

can be drawn out and not only enrich the individual, but also bring some benefit brought

to the organization as well. Logically it may then be asked what practical acts can be

3

carried out to motivate employees to enable them to develop their talents. In addition the

development of an employee calls for a measure of skill: it involves each leader studying

the employees under him or her, and selecting those with potential. Craythorne further

argues that there will be employees who are not “recognized” or seen in this manner but

who believed that they have potential, and who will want to make use of the opportunities

for development made available by employer. South Africa needs trained municipal

employers if it is to meet the unfulfilled needs of its population. The demand for services

is there, and unless municipal employees are properly and adequately trained, service

standards will decline and, in extreme cases, some services may cease altogether.

Productivity is a problem in South Africa: without training and efforts to increase

productivity, the municipal organization cannot be fully successful (Craythorne, 1997).

Cheminais, et al. (1998:189) mentioned that training is defined in the Public Service Staff

Code (April 1995), Chapter C, Section 3.1 (g) as all those planned and purposeful

activities which improve the knowledge, skills insight, attitude, behavior, values and

working and thinking habits of public servants or prospective public servants in such a

way that they are able to perform designated or intended tasks more efficiently.

Development is a continuation of education and training for acquiring sufficient

experience, skills and the right attitude to be appointed to the highest positions

(Cheminais, et al., 1998).

4

1.1 THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Cloete and Mokgoro (1995: 91) mentioned that the transformation of the public service

would play a key role in determining the outcome of the transition to democracy. The

capacity of the public service to deliver and expand basic services will be the hinge

between a stable political economy driving development in Africa, and a volatile country

beset with massive inadequacies in service delivery. In addition, they mentioned that the

issue of human resource development is central to achieving the potential of which South

Africa is capable. The new government will have to rely heavily on the public service to

implement new policy and facilitate development. The current education and training

system is largely geared towards training people for a control-oriented public service,

which is ill suited to meet future expectations. In this context, it is necessary to assess not

only existing capacity, but areas where education and training will be necessary to

smooth the transition process and ensure long-term sustainability

(Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

Reddy (1996:49) argues that South Africa is undergoing a process of rapid

transformation. The whole question of making local government structure more

democratic is the creation of unitary and non-racial, towns and villages, which has now

come under scrutiny. Local government usually provides a wide range of services. The

issues of representation and democracy in local government are directly linked to this as

they affect daily activities of the local populace. Democratic local government would

obviously reflect people’s needs more satisfactorily and would result in the improvement

of the local citizens quality of life (Reddy, 1996).

5

The Skills Development Act (1998:8) stated that its purposes are to develop the skills of

the South African workforce:

• By improving the quality of life of workers, their prospects of work and labour

mobility.

• To improve productivity in the workplace and the competitiveness of employers

• To promote self-employment and

• To improve the delivery of social services.

The other important point in the Act is to improve the employment prospects of persons

previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination and to redress those disadvantages

through training and education (Department of Labour, 1998). The problem identified for

study in this research is the issue of training as conducted by the Training Department of

the Helderberg Municipality, focusing on the following:

(i) Identification of training and development needs

(ii) Planning training programmes

(iii) Procedures and methods of training and development.

1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

According to Beach (1985:244) training is the organized procedure by which people learn

knowledge and/or skills for a definite purpose. The objective of training is to achieve a

change in the behavior of those trained. This means that the trainees shall acquire new

manipulative skills, technical knowledge, problem-solving ability, or attitudes. It is

6

expected that the employees apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills on the job

in such a way as to aid in the achievement of organizational goals (Beach, 1985).

In practice the nature, content and extent of training received by personnel should be

reconciled with the needs of the organization for staff trained in particular fields. Training

needs to be given under the guidance of a knowledgeable instructor. It is necessary that

the person responsible for the training of a particular employee or group of employees

should have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to do a meaningful job. It also

of important that, after training, those who were trained should apply the knowledge and

skills they acquired in the work environment.

For Gerber et al. (1987:216) training refers to the use of specific means to inculcate

specific learning, using techniques that can be identified and described. These techniques

and methods should be continually improved. Training therefore is a deliberate effort to

teach specific skills, knowledge or attitudes to serve a specific purpose

(Gerber et al., 1987). Training is not only aimed at improving the employee’s knowledge

and skill with regard to his/her functional and administrative duties, but the acquisition of

certain virtues and attitudes like diligence, willingness, integrity, loyalty and

responsibility is also within its scope.

Andrews (1988:131) argues that, personnel are surely the most important component in

any public institution. This view could be supported by the stipulation contained in

Article 7 (1) of the Public Service Act, 1984 (Act 111 of 1984) as amended, that the

7

Public Service consists of people. These people are remunerated from public funds and

should therefore always be utilized to the full. Because training and development ensure

that individuals are more productive as they acquire the necessary skills, training from the

time of employment is considered to be a necessary and continuous personnel function.

In addition, South Africa is a developing country, because of this, there is development in

a variety of community areas, such as technology, sociology, politics and economics.

This results in arrangements having to be made to make available sufficient, trained

personnel in all public institutions so as to satisfy the increasing demand

(Andrews, 1988). South Africa is in a transformation process and we live in an ever faster

changing world, technological changes, the changing constitutional and political

dispensation of South Africa demands certain amendments and changes to be made by

organizations to empower our people and meet the future expectations.

Cloete and Mokgoro (1995:99) argued that training should be viewed as part of a set of

complex, interrelated variables, which together determine the pace of development. The

existence of national training policy for the public service is crucial to the effectiveness

of public and development management courses. Such policy provides a framework in

which programs, resources and performance can be allocated or evaluated. In particular, a

training policy would address the regional and local levels, which would facilitate

effective human resource development planning. This would involve addressing the lack

of capacity to plan, conduct and evaluate training, and the absence of mechanisms to link

providers with those who need training, and training activities and outcomes to

performance goals.

8

Cloete and Mokgoro also mentioned that training should also be supported by a culture

that is oriented towards results and the needs of population groups that are the recipients

of public service. In addition, a more democratic system has just been established, the

expectations that the relevant political grouping, existing practitioners and community

organizations have of a public service should be assessed. More participative and

accountable training structures should be put in place. It is essential that a training policy

be in touch with what future needs are likely to be. They further argued that an issue that

required clarification was whether training would be focused on training capacity for the

present, interim, or future (1995:104). The discussion around that area reflected

consensus that training should focus on producing the kind of people who would be

necessary in a new structure.

In addition, Cloete and Mokgoro said that according to a policy framework for public

service education and training, the most striking aspect of the processes of Human

Resource Development Task Team (HRDTT) and New Public Administration Initiative

(NPAI) is the recognition by a diverse range of stakeholders that cannot be seen in

isolation from other components of human resource development and strategic needs

assessment. An adequate training policy for the public service in a changing South Africa

requires a holistic approach. Such a policy would have to be flexible enough to meet

short-term demands in terms of the reorientation and skilling of the public service, public

sector and civil society. This includes developing technical and policy skills. In the long-

term, appropriate training courses that meet current and future needs, should be

developed in the context of an overall human resource development approach. This

9

would require a rationalization of current capacity and resources, as well a consideration

of issues such as organizational culture, structural change and affirmative action

(Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995). The public service is composed of people coming from

different historical backgrounds they need to be trained to fill the gaps arising from these

cultural backgrounds.

Mondy and Premeaux (1995: 269) mentioned that training and development programs are

formal efforts to help employees learn new skills, improve existing skills and to perform

in the organization. Training and development is needed in part because people, jobs and

organizations are always changing. Further training can help ease management resistance

to change. In addition, training and development should begin when individuals join the

firm and should continue throughout their careers. It often includes classroom instruction,

on-the-job training, and forms of counseling, such as career planning (Mondy and

Premeaux, 1995). Several authors mentioned the needs and the importance of training in

the workplace. In addition, training must be a continuous and systematic development of

knowledge, skills and attitudes of all employees in order to improve their efficiency and

to promote job satisfaction. All employees need training, whether it be to equip them to

better their present jobs or to prepare them for the future.

Tailor (2000:4) argues that human development is the process of enlarging people’s

choices and raising the level of well being. It is a holistic, integrated process in which

economic and political forces continually interacted with one another in dynamic and

diverse ways to improve the lives of, and opportunities available to, the poorest people.

10

The process of enlargement of people’s choices is central to human development. Such

choices are related, not only to goods and services, but also to expanding human

capabilities.

In addition, human development in South Africa is about achieving an overall

improvement in the quality of life for all people, giving priority to those who are the

poorest and most excluded from mainstream society. The human development

framework, therefore, needs to be sensitive to the multi-dimensional character of South

African society. This means that the historical, political and economic arrangements that

lie at the core of the social system must be analyzed. Another point is that poverty and

other social issues must be examined against a landscape of colonialism, apartheid,

inequality, power, class, gender and race. Using the human development framework is

necessary to encourage new forms of social mobilization and social organization in order

to effect fundamental social transformation.

Tailor (2000:84) further argues that local government faces a massive legacy of outdated,

costly and inefficient managerial and organizational systems that disadvantages poor

people and discriminate against women in practice, if not in intention. Another concern is

the fact that almost 70% of the more than 800 municipalities are in financial trouble and

almost a quarter of them are simply not viable. This means they have little or no capacity

to address the many needs of the citizens they serve, especially the poor

(Tailor, 2000). Resources are extremely limited in South Africa and it is important for

managers to utilize the existing resources more effectively in order to achieve greater

11

satisfaction. Most employees are under the direct supervision and control of the

managers, who are directly responsible for the functional training of operational work.

For Armstrong (2001:543) training is the formal and systematic modification of behavior

through learning, which occurs as a result of education, instruction, development and

planned experience. The fundamental aim of training is to help the organization achieve

its purpose by adding value to its key resources – the people it employs. Training means

investing in people to enable them to perform better and to empower them to make the

best use of their natural abilities. Armstrong mentioned the following objectives of

training, such as to:

• Develop the skills and competences of employees and improve their performance.

• Help people to grow within the organization in order that, as far as possible, its

future needs for human resources can be met from within.

• Reduce the learning time for employees starting in new jobs on appointment,

transfer or promotion, and ensure that they become fully competent as quickly

and economically as possible.

Armstrong (2001:544) further mentioned other benefits of effective training, which

could:

Firstly, minimize learning costs.

Secondly, improve operational flexibility by extending the range of skills possessed by

employees.

12

Thirdly. attract high-quality employees by offering them learning and development

opportunities, increase their levels of competence and enhance their skills thus enabling

them to obtain more job satisfaction to gain higher rewards and to progress within the

organization.

Fourthly, increase the commitment of employees by encouraging them to identify with

the mission and objectives of the organization.

Fifthly, help to manage change by increasing understanding of the reasons for change and

providing people with the knowledge and skills they need to adjust to the new situation.

Sixthly, help to develop a positive culture in the organization, one, for example, that is

orientated toward performance improvement.

Lastly, training helps employees to provide higher levels of service to customers

(Armstrong, 2001:543). The Helderberg Municipality is not far from the argument of

Armstrong because the Training Manager of the Helderberg Municipality has mentioned

that their organization is guided by the Skills Plan to conducted training program.

Carrell et al. (1999:308) argued that the majority of workers need new or significantly

expanded skills to keep up with the demands of their jobs. This includes new technology,

management, customer service and basic skills training. Employee training, development

and education programs are big business in South Africa. Employee training and

development (T&D) is seen as a key factor in meeting the employers strategic, business

and operation goals. International competition, corporate reorganization and

13

technological advances, along with social and economic pressures, increase the

importance of training and development in South African workplaces.

In addition, because of the important role played by education and training in our

endeavours to become a competitive nation, the government recently passed the South

African Qualifications Authority Act, Act No. 58 of 1995, which has far-reaching

implications for all education and training efforts in South Africa (Carrell et al., 1999).

The challenge facing South Africa is to transform the public service to be truly

representative in the broader sense, and to improve and maintain standards at an

acceptable level. The literature was very useful for the study because it gives the

researcher a broader knowledge about the topic and the importance of training and

development especially in the South African local government.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study is:

Firstly, to give an introduction of training and development in South African local

government. Secondly, to provide a conceptual framework of the study by examining the

existing literature on training and development. Thirdly, to examine the Helderberg

Municipality particularly to look at how training and development are conducted.

Fourthly, to examine the needs, importance and reason of training and development.

Lastly the writer also wanted to examine the types of training conducted in the

Helderberg Municipality.

14

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study was based on both qualitative and quantitative methods. This researcher used

the qualitative method because she considered it useful for this study as it would give her

a wider scope. Two types of qualitative methods such as literature and interviews were

used for this study. A limited number of personal interviews were conducted. These

interviews were conducted face-to-face with two different stakeholders;

(i) The Training Manager of the Helderberg Municipality (Thomas).

(ii) The second interviewee was the Training Consultant for the public servants

(Van der Westhuizen).

The qualitative method was of importance for this study because it enabled the researcher

to link the information gathered to different secondary data. The qualitative method was

useful because it gave the researcher an opportunity to “zoom” in on the experiences and

activities of these different stakeholders. This shows how those different stakeholders feel

about training and development. By contrast, the quantitative method would be also

useful, hence figures are also provided. The interview with the Training Manager of the

Helderberg Municipality helped the researcher to conclude the study by evaluating and

analysing the findings of the study.

This study does not involve comparison with other organizations, but the information

generated by qualitative methods may enable other researchers to use it for the purpose of

comparison. The researcher chose this topic to gain a better understanding about the

training and development in South African local government. In this sense the qualitative

methods had the greatest potential to deliver sufficient information. This information was

15

useful because the researcher has gained more knowledge about the differences between

the three important documents used such as policy, business plan and the budget.

Review of the literature gathered from different sources such as reports, policy

documents, books and interviews gave insight to the researcher about the needs and

importance of training and development in the organizations. In order to ensure that all

the desired information was collected, structured interviewees were used. Interview

guides were used to ensure that all relevant themes were addressed during the interviews

(see appendixes for interview schedule). This enables the researcher to formulate

questions before the interviews.

The interview schedule comprised open-ended questions to enable the interviewee to

elaborate on information needed. The personal interviews were considered to be an

effective way to yield qualitative information. The first interview with the Training

Manager of the Helderberg was on the 11-04-2002 in the Training Department of this

organization. During this interview the interviewee gave the researcher an overview of

the Helderberg Municipality and its functional areas. The second interview was on the

15-05-2002; this was the time when the researcher got information about the private

organization hired by the Helderberg Municipality to conduct training. These interviews

took about three to four hours per day. The last interview was on the 11-06-2002 when

the interviewee mentioned the procedures and methods of training and development. The

budget was also mentioned. Lastly all the information in this study helped the researcher

to conclude the research and make recommendations.

16

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study could be helpful for both policy-makers and consultants to draw policies for

municipalities. It could also assist the Skills Development Planning Unit, which is an

institution in the Department of Labor to research and analyze the labor market in order

to determine skills development needs for South Africa as a whole.

1.6 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY

The study comprises five chapters:

CHAPTER ONE

Consists of an introduction of training and development in South African local

government, Statement of the Problem, Literature Review, Objectives of the Study,

Research Methodology, Significance of the Study and a definition of terms used in the

study.

CHAPTER TWO

This chapter outlines the structure and functional areas of the Helderberg Municipality.

In this chapter the writer first seeks to find out whether the Helderberg Municipality have

a policy for training and development.

Secondly, the paper looks at the communication mechanism or tools they use to inform

the employees of available training programs.

Thirdly, the paper examines how the program is conducted, by looking at the procedures

and methods used for the program.

17

CHAPTER THREE

This chapter focuses on the budget and how the training program is financed. The chapter

also looks at how the Training Department of Helderberg Municipality keeps its records

and the role played by Skills Development Levies Act in the program.

CHAPTER FOUR

This chapter focuses on the needs, importance, reasons and means by which employees

are developed. It also explains the types of training and development.

CHAPTER FIVE

This chapter is an evaluation and analyses of the findings of this study. The conclusion is

drawn on the basis of the available data. This is followed by recommendations,

references and appendixes.

18

CHAPTER TWO

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE

HELDERBERG MUNICIPALITY

2.1 INTRODUCTION Presently South Africa is in a process of transformation. Training and development is

important especially for municipalities in South Africa. Tailor (2000:4) argues that

transformation literally means to change the appearance or character in this instance of

state or society. Theoretically, transformation is captured in the notion that the South

African state and society must change fundamentally if they are to move from autocracy,

dictatorship, extreme poverty and inequality to substantive democracy and people-centred

development (Tailor, 2000). Training and development is important especially for

municipalities in South Africa. Cloete and Mokgoro (1995:118) argued that the new

government is under tremendous pressure to address the development needs of the

country. The government will therefore need to ensure that its policies of reconstruction

and development are successfully delivered. They mentioned that trained personnel

identified by the democratic movement should immediately enter into existing

government structures affecting areas of concern at all levels of government. In addition,

the restructuring of the Public Service Commission, the Central Statistical Services and

all government departments at central, provincial and local level is urgently needed in

order to comply with the development needs of the state. It is recommended that a

comprehensive program of staff development, recruitment and training should form an

19

integral part of a productivity improvement program (PIP). It is crucial that when

programs of this nature are embarked upon, fiscal aspects are examined. They saw a need

for an organizational structure for training. The challenge facing South Africa is to

transform the public service to be truly representative in the broader sense, and to

improve and maintain standards at an accepted level (Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

Reddy (1996:49) mentioned that local authorities are created to render services in defined

geographical areas, primarily because of the inability of central governments attend to all

the detailed aspects of government. This author also mentioned that local government is

the third tier of government deliberately created to bring government to the grass-roots

population, giving them a sense of involvement in the political processes that control

their daily lives. He argued that new local authorities would have to craft strong and

stable local systems from the chaos and distrust of the past. In addition, the urgent

provision of basic infrastructure and services will constitute a major challenge for new

local authorities. They will have to develop management structures and systems capable

of managing and delivering programs of reconstruction and development while

maintaining the continuity of service provision. They will also have to devise new, fair

and equitable systems of collecting, managing and redistributing funds (Reddy, 1996).

2.2 IDENTIFICATION OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

Thomas, Training Manager of the Helderberg Municipality (interview, 11:04 2002)

argues that the training division is part of the Human Resource Department. This

20

organization consists of 13 functional areas for the purpose of conducting the functional

needs analysis such as: -

Planning, economic and social development, support services, health, protection services

electricity, housing, community services, water, roads and construction, technical

support, trading services and waste water and cleansing.

Thomas mentioned that when the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA)

introduced the issue of training and development in the organization, their directorates

compiled a policy as a guiding key for the program. The policy was compiled on the

basis that every head of the department raised his/her views on what the policy should

focus on. In addition, the Key Performance Area (KPA) of Helderberg Municipality is

Human Resource Education, whose purpose is: -

• To ensure staff education, training and development.

• To conduct training needs analysis.

• To compile career development.

• To co-ordinate social development programs

Lastly, to ensure compliance with implementation of education, training and development

strategies.

Training Division does Skills Audit by compiling questionnaires and sends to all

functionary areas. In those functionary areas there are group leaders called Steering

Committees. These Steering Committees act as communication channels between the

employees and managers of the department. Those group leaders were responsible and

accountable for distributing the questionnaires to the workers to be filled. The

questionnaires were compiled in a way that could easily indicate the gender,

21

qualifications and skills of each employee. When all employees filed questionnaires the

Steering Committees collected and sent them to the Training Division. The Training

Division captured information in its database. After the information was captured it gave

Skills Results.

The following formula has been used: -

Skills Results vs Organization Skills Demand=Skills Plan

The Skills Plan shows: -

• How many females, males, employees with disability and what their

qualifications are.

• How many employees are to be trained?

• What skills are needed?

• How much it will cost?

The information also shows that at the Helderberg Municipality there are also those who

cannot read and write (Thomas, 2002).

Armstrong (1988:496) argues that training would not be effective unless it was based on

an understanding of learning theory. Learning theory provides the background against

which training programmes and techniques should be developed and used. Knowledge of

the basic concepts of how people learn is essential to anyone who plans or conducts

training. Even during the initial phase of the training sequence when training is being

identified.

In addition, it is still necessary to be aware of learning theory as this will help to direct

inquiries towards those areas where training is most likely to be effective. Training must

22

have a purpose and that purpose can only be defined if the training needs of the

organization, the groups and individuals within it have been identified and analyzed.

Armstrong added that surveys for identify training needs can be conducted by

questionnaires or interviews or preferably by a combination of these two methods.

According to Armstrong training surveys may complement more analytical investigations

by seeking to identify general training needs which might not be revealed, except with a

great deal of effort, by looking at individual jobs. Further training is always more

relevant, and therefore more effective, if it ensures that trainees understand and take the

action required to overcome the actual problems they meet when carrying out their work.

Furthermore training should be problem-based and action-orientated. The simplest

method of conducting a training survey is to go round asking managers and supervisors

what they think are the training priorities in their departments. However, the results

obtained may be subjective but as long as the surveys are comprehensive and the answers

are analyzed carefully, they would prove a useful starting point for more detailed

analysis. They will also ensure that management and supervisors feel involved from the

beginning- thus, they are more likely to help with job program if they have been

consulted about their requirements (Armstrong, 1988).

2.3 TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

Armstrong (2001:552) mentioned that training needs analysis is partly concerned with

defining the gap between what is happening and what should happen. He gave the

following example: -

23

Table 2.1

What is What should be Corporate or functional results. Knowledge and skills possessed. Actual performance of Individuals.

Training gap

Corporate or functional standards, knowledge and skills required. Targets or standards of performance.

Source: Armstrong (2001:552)

Armstrong explains the above as follows: -

Firstly, training needs should be analyzed for the organization as a whole = corporate

needs. Secondly, for departments teams, functions or occupations within the organization

= group needs. Thirdly, for individual employees = individual needs. For Armstrong,

these three areas are interconnected. The analysis of corporate needs will lead to the

identification of training needs in different departments or occupations, while these in

turn will indicate the training required for individual employees. The process also

operates in reverse. As the needs of individual employees are analyzed separately

common needs emerge which can be dealt with on a group basis. In addition, the sum of

group and individual needs will help define corporate needs although there may be some

super-ordinate training requirements which can be related only to the company as a

whole to meet its business development needs. The whole training plan may be greater

than the sum of its parts (Armstrong, 2001). As a result of the ever-increasing

responsibilities being placed upon organizations, training has become a necessity.

Training must be based upon stated needs and objectives.

24

2.4 PLANNING TRAINING PROGRAMS

Thomas (interview, 15:05, 2002) argues that Helderberg have internal and external

training. For those who need to be trained internally the organization uses Zest Solution

as a training provider. Zest Solution is a private company that offers training and

development for the organizations. Those employees who need to get more qualifications

work together with the University of South Africa. This organization chose this

university because the employees here attend classes only on Saturday. The Helderberg

Municipality chose Zest Solution because in their view it is the best training provider that

could help them resolve problems they experience in their organization. Its mission is to

provide the best human resource development services possible (highly competent

people) to assist South African in the improvement of productivity and to help with the

development and upliftment of individuals, organization and communities. In addition,

this company’s goals suit their requirements because it improves the relationship between

employees and the public in order to enhance economical and social well being of the

society (Thomas, 2002).

Armstrong (2001:557) argues that every training program needs to be designed

individually, and the designed programme will continually evolve as new learning needs

emerge, or when feedback indicates that changes are required. Before consideration is

given to special aspects of training programs for managers, team leaders, craft and

technical trainees, and office staff decisions are necessary in the following areas:-

25

(i) Objectives

It is essential to consider carefully the objectives of a training program especially the

learning outcomes. The objectives can be defined as criterion behavior, that is the

standards or changes of behavior on the job to be achieved if training is to be regarded as

successful. This should be a definition of what the trainee will be able to do when he or

she goes back to work on completing the course, in other words, terminal behavior.

(Armstrong: 2001).

(ii) Content

The content of the training program should be determined entirely by the learning and

training needs analysis and an assessment of what needs to be done to achieve the agreed

training objectives.

(iii) Length

The length of the training program obviously depends on its content. Careful

consideration should be given as to how learning can be speeded up by the use of

techniques such as computer-based training. Thought should also be given to where more

time needs to be allowed for ‘discovery learning’ to take place, or for the amount of

involvement required to ensure that those undergoing training have the opportunity fully

to understand and ‘own’ the new ideas or techniques to which they have been exposed

(Armstrong, 2001). Training needs to be given by an instructor who can present it in an

orderly manner which will be easy for trainees to understand what the training program is

about.

26

2.5 PROCEDURES AND METHODS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

The study has already mentioned that the Helderberg Municipality has got its own policy

compiled by the Directorates as their guiding key. The Skills Development Act and Zest

Solution also guide this organization. Thomas (interview, 2002) mentioned that there are

two types of training in the organization, such as:

(i) Outside training

(ii) Inside training

There are training rooms in the organization for inside training. They also have training

centers outside the organization, which are used for training the managers in other

municipalities for example, Tygerberg Municipality. Outside training is used for

managers because they do not want them to be in or near the workplace when they are on

a training session.

In addition, during the training session all employees who attended training sessions get

paid for the duration of training because it is taken as working time. There are bursaries

for those who attended at university. As already mentioned, in the Helderberg

Municipality there are those who cannot read and write, and provision for them is made.

(i) PARTICULARS OF THE COURSE

According to Thomas (interview, 11: 06: 2002) the training particulars of the course

depend on the type of the training conducted on a specific time. The number of people

attending training is limited. The target group may not be more that ten employees

attending the program. The duration of the course is two to three days depending on the

27

training offered at that specific time. For those who cannot read and write, their

attendance is once a week for the whole year. In addition, the training provider does

compilation of the modules. The Helderberg Municipality is only responsible for buying

the stationery.

The following methods of presentation are used for training in the Helderberg

Municipality: -

(i) Formal lectures by instructor.

(ii) Case studies

(iii) Group work and practical exercise.

Overhead projectors and screen transparency are also used during training

(Thomas, 2002).

Carrell et al. (1999:321) give other methods of training such as: -

(i) Videotapes: Videotapes bought off the shelf or produced internally are used by many

organizations in South Africa, according to recent survey. New concepts and ideas can be

introduced in this convenient format as part of a T&D program. Videotapes can also

supplement several of the other techniques to be discussed, especially those showing

technical and behavioral skills.

(ii) Lecture: the lecture is the second most popular away-from-the-job T&D technique,

with some 85% of organizations in South Africa using this method. Its strength lies in

delivering uniform information to a large group of people in a timely manner. In addition,

the shortcomings of the lecture method may have more to do with the emotional reaction

of trainees than with the actual learning (Carrell et al., 1999).

28

Armstrong (2001:558) mentioned three places where training can take place such as: -

(i) In-company

This training may consist of teaching or coaching by manager, team leaders or

trainers at the desk or at the bench. It may also consist of individual or group

assignments and the use of mentors. It is the only way to develop and practice the

specific managerial, team leading, technical, selling, manual and administrative skills

needed by the organization. The individual works, learns and develops expertise at

the same time. Theory is put into practice immediately and its relevance is obvious.

Much of the learning can take place naturally as part of the performance management

process and through day-to-day contacts although it will be most effective if specific

learning objectives have been articulated. The disadvantages are that the effectiveness

of the learning is strongly influenced by the quality of the guidance and coaching

provided on the job. Many managers are unskilled at training and disinclined to carry

it out or to encourage it. The instruction may be inadequate and the training may

perpetuate bad habits. The learner may be distracted by the environment and find it

difficult to acquire the basic skills quickly. To overcome this problem, it is essential

to provide training to managers and team leaders on how to train and even more

important, to stress that this is expected of them as a key part of their jobs and will be

one of the areas in which performance will be measured (2001:558). If the managers

and team leaders are trained it will be important for the organization because they will

identify the training needs.

29

(ii) In company, off-the-job

Armstrong (2001:559) stated that this training could be placed on special courses or

in training areas or centers, which have been specially equipped and staffed for

training. It is the best way to acquire advanced manual, office customer service or

selling skills and to learn about company procedure and products. In addition, it helps

to increase the identification of the trainee with the company as a whole, and the use

of systematic training techniques, special equipment and trained trainers means that

the basic skills and knowledge can be acquired quickly and often economically. The

main disadvantage arises when trainees are transferred from the training course to a

job to apply their knowledge and skills in practice. For managers and team leaders,

the problem of transferring from the training situation to real life may be even more

difficult. For Armstrong, the issue of transferring learning is important in all aspects

of training but it is a particular problem with management and team leader training

whether in-company or provided outside. This is partly because much management

training tends to deal with relatively abstract concepts like motivation and leadership

and the connection between what the people learn in the classroom (or outdoors) may

not always be apparent. Strenuous efforts have to be made to ensure that learners

perceive the reality of what they are learning and that they are expected to develop

and implement action plans for putting them into practice (Armstrong, 2001).

(iii) External training

For Armstrong (2001:559) external training is useful for the development of

managerial, team leading, technical and social knowledge and skills, especially if the

30

courses cover standard theory and practice, which can easily be translated from the

general to the particular. Armstrong argues that external training should be able to

supply the quality of instruction that it might be uneconomic to provide internally. It

can be used to implant highly specialized knowledge or advanced skills and has the

added advantage of broadening the horizons of those taking part, not least because

they will be exposed to their peers from other organizations. In addition, the

knowledge and skills acquired may be quickly dissipated unless they are used

immediately. It may also be difficult to select relevant courses from the bewildering

variety available (Armstrong, 2001).

2.6 SUMMARY

This chapter outlined an overview of the importance of training and development in

South African local government using the Helderberg Municipality as an example. The

content of the chapter focuses on the Helderberg Municipality by looking at how training

and development is conducted. The identification and development of training needs,

structure and functional areas of the Helderberg Municipality were also discussed.

Training needs analyses and the planning of training programs are also important and

were mentioned in the chapter. The objectives, content, length of the training are other

important issues that were examined. Procedures and methods of training and

development also form part of the chapter. The next chapter looks at the budget of the

Helderberg Municipality.

31

CHAPTER THREE

3. THE BUDGET OF THE TRAINING DEPARTMENT.

3.1 INTRODUCTION

Gildenhuys (1997:122) argues that the budget plays a key role in supplying

municipal services. A good budget will enable the municipality to supply the measure

and quality of municipal services as required by the community at the lowest possible

cost. He mentioned that a budget is the heart of any local government and is a

financial version of what a local government is doing or intends doing. In addition, a

budget is a financial statement containing the revenue and expenditure estimates for a

prescribed period, it should also reflect the policy goals, objectives and aims for that

period (Gildenhuys, 1997).

The Directorates and the Training Manager compiled the budget of the Helderberg

Municipality. Their budget started in June and ended in June the following year. For

the year 2001 June- 2002 June their budget was R400, 000. The following table

reflects their budget:

3.2 BUDGET FOR THE HELDERBERG MUNICIPALITY JUNE 2001-2002

Table 3.1

Community Services R230 000 Department of finance R30 000 Human resource R22 000 Traffic R34 000 Urban planning R39 000 Source: Budget of the Helderberg Municipality (2001-2002).

32

At a glance, the Helderberg Municipality’s 2001-2002 budget reflects that human

resource functions were allocated the lowest amount as compared to its other

functions. However, it is not clear how much of the R22 000 allocated to human

resource function was specifically for training and development. One of the problems

I experienced during this research in the Helderberg Municipality is that it was

difficult to get the documents of the budget, business plan and policy. The only

information I received is that reflected in Table 3.1.

The Skills Development Levies Act (1999) provides that with effect from April 2000,

skills development will to a large extent be financed through a skills levy which has

been set at no more than 1% of the wage bill for both the private and public

(including local government) sectors.

The levy will be collected by the LGSETA, which will also manage and distribute the

funds collected based on regulations issued by the Department of Labor. However,

not all funds will automatically go back into local government training. Twenty

percent of it must be paid to a National Skills Fund, which will be managed by the

Department of Labor for different purposes, including the training of unemployed

persons. Local government will have to apply for training funds from the Skills

Funding for training given to people outside its employed sector, for example: the

unemployed, youth and people with disabilities. These funds will not be sufficient to

meet all the existing training needs in local government. It is clear that the LGSETA

will need to mobilize other funding for its activities, including contributions from

donors, business and other government spheres (http://www.local.gov.za).

33

3.3 SUMMARY

The introduction of this chapter outlined the role/definition of the budget. The chapter

looks at the Training Department of the Helderberg Municipality, how the budget is

compiled and by whom. The chapter also outlined the table of the budget of the

Helderberg Municipality. The Skills Development Levies Act (1999) also highlights the

role it plays in training and development. The next chapter (chapter four) examines the

needs, importance, reasons and means by which employees are developed. This chapter

also examines the type of training and development.

34

CHAPTER FOUR

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter is about needs and importance of training and development. It also looks at

the reasons of training and development, means by which employees can be developed

and the type of training and development. Watson (1979:3) argued that management

development is self-development. People may receive careful guidance and necessary

development opportunities, but they must choose to improve if change is to occur.

Through training, managers can be made aware of their individual’s strengths and

developmental needs. He said that one participant at a management-training program put

it this way, “Our development will take place on our jobs and on our own time through

our individual effort” (1979:3). In addition, this training program allows them a chance to

see where they lack, to pinpoint their needs, and to learn about various ways in which

they can improve (Watson, 1979). The employees will be helped and understand their

role in the organization if they are trained by their supervisors or managers.

Beach (1985:244) mentioned that training has both direct and indirect advantages for

institutions. Training reduces the learning time needed to achieve an acceptable level of

performance. By means of qualified instructors in controlled learning situations,

management can succeed in reducing the learning time and obtain higher productivity. It

improves the job performance of the incumbent. In addition, it can help to solve operation

problems. It also helps to meet the needs for human resource (Beach, 1985). It will be of

important to trained the managers who at the end can give guidance to their subordinate.

35

White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service argues that training and education

would assist the government to develop the professional capacities of public servants and

to promote institutional change. Training can contribute to the strategic goals of the state

in a number of important ways, such as: -

Firstly, training can help to equip all public servants, whether workers or managers, with

the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to carry out their jobs effectively in

pursuit of the new vision and mission for the public service. Such skills and competencies

will not only be occupational, technical and professional in nature. In addition, training

and education must also relate to problem solving, innovation and leadership, to enable

public servants at all levels to take advantage of the new opportunities for open and

participative management, team building and decision-making.

Secondly, training will form an integral part of the process of increasing the

representativeness of the public service. Thirdly, training can enable public servants to

acquire new development orientated professionalism; this will entail the development of

a new work ethics, knowledge and skills with which to implement the Reconstruction and

Development Program.

Fourthly, training, if properly conceived and structured, can be a powerful instrument for

anticipating as well as facilitating the introduction of institutional change within the

public service. Training should thus become a key component of the institution-building

process; for this reason it cannot be developed in isolation and must be integrated within

the overall strategic plans of public sector organizations. Fifthly, Appropriate training can

36

assist public servants in developing a better understanding of the needs of the

communities that they are serving, as well as a capacity to respond to these needs.

Training should be used to rapidly develop a new civic consciousness amongst public

servants, and to develop new knowledge and skills, which can be applied in creating a

community-cantered public sector

(White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service, 1995). The public servants are the

people who are working hand in hand with the community; this shows the prime need to

deliver the best services to the community at large.

Cloete and Mokgoro (1995: 111) argued that the need to change the organization culture

and ethos in order to meet the challenge of development and democracy for future should

be addressed. The training policy should be located in a human resource development

context, which highlights structural issues relating to the transformation of current

institutions and inequalities in employment and work practices. These structural issues

relate to recruitment, selection, career advancement and participation in the decision-

making process and are closely linked to empowerment, integration and affirmative

action programs.

In this context, affirmative action and empowerment training for individuals should be

seen as a crucial component of local, regional and national training policy. This should

include negotiation capacity, policy understanding and technical skills. This process of

empowerment would facilitate the development of a more democratic environment for

government decision-making and the implementation of policies

37

(Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995). Human Resource is the department which is working with

people; this shows that for training to be conducted effectively and efficiently it needs to

be linked with other important terms such as recruitment, selection and others.

In addition, target group for training include the current public service, current and future

candidates for public service employment at all levels of government, community based

organizations (CBOs), non- governmental organizations (NGOs) politicians and unions.

It is also crucial that civil society organizations develop the capacity and skills to interact

on multiple levels with government agencies. This should include negotiation capacity,

policy understanding and technical skills. This process of empowerment would facilitate

the development of a more democratic environment for government decision-making and

implementation of policies (Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

According to Van der Westhuizen, Training Consultant (interview, 2002) it is a given

fact that no person, irrespective of his/her background and academic qualifications, is

fully equipped for his/her job with an organization without further training. He mentioned

that apart from those joining the organization for the first time, even the experienced

employee has a permanent need for in-service training, due to ever-increasing changes in

the technological and other fields. In addition, training is not only aimed at improving the

employees knowledge and skill with regard to his/her functional and administrative

duties, but the acquisition of certain virtues and attitudes like diligence, willingness,

integrity, loyalty and responsibility is also within its scope. He also mentioned that in the

past it was accepted that training applied only to students at school and university and

38

those entering the organization for the first time but in the world of today lifelong

training has become essential.

In addition, we live in a changing world. Changes have always been inherent to mankind,

and many political, constitutional, social, cultural, economical and technological changes

have occurred faster than before. In the past a person embarking on his/her first job had,

due to his/her secondary and tertiary education and training, been much better equipped

to start doing functional work immediately. Due to increased specialization in almost

every field, further practical tasks and vocational training are indispensable. Van der

Westhuizen argues that technological changes as well as the multiplication of laws and

regulations, renders most posts inaccessible without further in-service training. He said

that man today lives cyclic rather than linearly. In the past, the average worker’s life

pattern could be presented as a simple straight line such as: -

Child/student Adult Elderly Learn Work Rest Today a cyclic representation is favored where learning (training) and work

phase alternate. Today lifelong training is accepted as the demand of reality and in the

work situation training and work are so closely interwoven that the employee can often

not distinguish one from the other (Van der Westhuizen, 2002).

Craythorne (1997:323) argues that South Africa needs trained municipal employers if it is

to meet the unfulfilled needs of its population. The demand for services is there and

unless municipal employees are properly and adequately trained, service standards will

decline and, in extreme cases, some services may cease altogether. Productivity is a

39

problem in South Africa: without training and efforts to increase productivity, the

municipality organization cannot be fully successful. In addition municipalities do not

need to duplicate university or technikon courses. Persons appointed to certain jobs, such

as accounting medical practitioners, lawyers and the like, must be fully trained and duly

registered if this is legally necessary (Craythorne, 1997). Training must be a continuous

and systematic development of the knowledge, skills and attitudes of all employees in

order to improve their efficiency and to promote job satisfaction.

According to Cheminais et al. (1998:191) the employees themselves can benefit from

training. They acquire the skills and knowledge, become more competitive and raise the

level of income. Furthermore these skills in turn increase their job security. In addition,

training may also help employees to qualify for promotion and more responsible tasks.

Cheminais, et al. (1998:191) also mentioned three advantages of training and

development such as:

(i) Advantages for the community

Training not only benefits community by giving it greater stability but also reduces

poverty and raises the general standard of living. By training and developing public

officials, the state is ensuring that the needs of the community are met and that scarce

resources are used optimally to the benefit of the whole community. Training and

development can also increase the quality and quantity of services and/ or products

provided by public institutions.

40

(ii) Advantages for the State as an employer

By training and development personnel, employers can ensure that the products

produced and services rendered are provided effectively. This may lead to the

expansion of products or services and thus increase public funds, which in turn can

improve productivity and create a stable labor force in which personnel are satisfied

and motivated.

(iii) Advantages for employees

Training and retraining are valuable not only to the country as such but also to

individual or potential workers. Training helps to address personal poverty because

personnel can increase their knowledge and skills. They also improve their personal

income and position in the labor market. Training protects individual workers from

unemployment especially technological and structural unemployment

(Cheminais et al., 1998).

4.2 REASONS FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Reddy (1996:49) has already argued that South Africa is undergoing a process of

rapid transformation. The whole question of making local government structures

more democratic that is the creation of unitary and non-racial cities, town and villages

has now come under scrutiny. Local government provides a wide range of services

including inter alias, water sewerage, electricity, transport, libraries, parks, sports-

ground, housing and health (Reddy, 1996). Due to the changes our country is facing

the government will have to rely on the public service to implement new policies and

facilitate development.

41

Du Toit and Van der Waldt (1997:21) mentioned that the public sector has an

obligation towards the public to increase the general welfare. The public experts the

best possible management processes and service from public institutions. In addition,

the demands and standards for effective action are therefore constantly increasing and

officials have to adapt to this. The necessity for training and development in this

context is obvious (Du Toit and Van der Waldt, 1997). Local authorities are created

to render services in defined geographical areas, primarily because of the inability of

central government to attend to all the detailed aspects of government. Local

government is the third tier of government deliberately created to bring government

closer to the grass-roots.

4.3 MEANS BY WHICH EMPLOYEES CAN BE DEVELOPED

Craythorne (1997:323) gave the following means by which employees could be

developed such as: -

(i) Allowing employees who qualify to attend a tertiary educational institution

(university, technikon or technical colleges) to enable him or her obtain

improved qualification. He mentioned that the employee can be allowed to

study on a bursary basis by attending full-time at an institution or he/she can

study part-time and his/her books and tuition cost would be paid. In addition,

it is quite common among the technicians, for the employee to attend, say a

technikon for part of the year, and the remainder of the year to work for the

employer in his or her chosen field. In this case, it was usual to require the

employee to work for the employer for a stated time.

42

The advantage of this approach is that it assists in personnel planning:

(i) Establishing training programs, these programs could make use of special

training of staff in the organization, but consultants and other experts could be

used.

(ii) Identifying employees who show promise that they can be promoted to senior

position, and giving them special opportunities, for example in project work,

to demonstrate whether they possess excellence (Craythorne, 1997). It is a

given fact that no person, irrespective of his/her background and academic

qualifications, is fully equipped for his/her job with an organization without

further training.

4.4 TYPES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Craythorne (1997:326) gives the following types: -

(i) Orientation and induction

Craythorne argues that new employees will need to be taught or shown the nature of the

organization lines of communication, their rights and duties, the general body of rules

under which the council operates, and in fact, everything calculated to enable them to fit

into the municipal machine as quickly as possible. He mentioned that where the new

entrant has no previous municipal experience, orientation is essential, seeing that most

municipal councils operate a number of different services that constitute sub-

organizations with the whole. In addition, each new employee needs on-the-job training

in respect of in-house methods and procedures.

43

(ii) In-service training

He argues that this is a continuation of the training given to new employees, and consists

of training given by experienced an instructor to do a specific job at a machine or in the

workplace.

(iii) Development training

Craythorne (1997:327) argues that development and training can be used to improve

existing skills or to introduce new ones. For example, with current notions of industrial

relations it is a good idea to send supervisory and senior staff to attend courses on

leadership, the handling of grievances or misconduct, and the motivation of staff and

productivity. On a different level, staff can be taught how to write clear and

understandable reports. In addition, each organization also needs to develop leadership

qualities among its potentially up and coming employees.

Craythorne (1996:290) gave a good example whereby he said with current notions of

industrial relations, it is a good idea to send supervisory and senior staff to attend courses

on leadership, the handling of grievances or misconduct, the motivation of staff, and

productivity (Craythorne, 1996). The changing constitutional and political dispensation

of South Africa demands certain amendments and changes to be made by organizations.

This shows a need for training to be conducted in all government departments to let the

employees to be aware of the changes made by the Constitution.

(iv) Vocational training

This training consists of training apprentices, technicians and professionals. Craythorne

mentioned that this would not be necessary for the municipal council to duplicate the

44

training facilities for these categories, but if manpower planning is to be pursued

seriously, a council needs to have a policy in terms of which it would give financial

assistance to apprentices, pupils or learner technicians, and professionals such as medical

practitioners, lawyers, accountants and the like to become qualified and to work for

council. Such policy could include paying the tuition and book/materials costs of persons

working for the council, and giving them time off to attend lectures.

(v) Vestibule training

For Craythorne, this training is used where large numbers of employees have to be

quickly trained, because of some changes in the organization or because of some new

circumstances giving rise to a need for quick training. This is often best done under

conditions which simulate the actual workplace. In addition, in framing a policy on

training, it is necessary to bear in mind that a great deal of training can be obtained from

outside sources, and it is often only necessary to have an internal training unit for training

which cannot be given by outside agencies. He mentioned that when contracting out it is

vital to consider the following points:

(i) The cost of the outside agency: Privatization can sometimes be a lot more

expensive than doing training in-house.

(ii) The credibility and standing of the lecturer(s) and the course material.

According to Craythorne (1997:329) affirmative action, which definitely is applicable

to the local sphere of government. Affirmative action refers to the purposeful and

planned placement or development of competent or potentially competent person in

or to positions from which they were legally excluded in the past, in an attempt to

45

redress past disadvantages and to render the workplace more representative of the

population (Craythorne, 1997). Affirmative action needs to be incorporated into any

restructuring of the public service along non-racial and non-sexist lines. Qualified

people with proven track records should be placed immediately into the higher and

middle management levels of the public service.

4.5 SUMMARY

This chapter outlined the needs and importance of training and development by

several authors. Further, the chapter looked at reasons for training and development.

The means by which employees can be developed also form part of the chapter,

including the types of training and development. The next chapter, Chapter Five looks

at the evaluation and analysis of the findings of this study. The conclusion of this

study is drawn on the basis of the available data.

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CHAPTER FIVE

5. CONCLUSION: EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter analyzes the results of the study. The analysis could assist in identifying

key problems in the Training Department of the Helderberg Municipality and in

drawing the conclusions from particular situations. This will be followed by

recommendations on the possible solutions to the problems of the Training

Department of the Helderberg Municipality.

5.2 WEAKNESSES IN IDENTIFICATION OF TRAINING NEEDS

The first part of the study is an introduction of training and development drawn from

several authors. The main facts were stated in the study to give an indication about

the training and development. These facts show the interest of the researcher on the

topic. Evidence from the literature suggests that the problem of training and

development is not new in South Africa.

The response given to the writer by the Training Manager in the Training Department

of the Helderberg Municipality showed that the training needs analysis was not

effectively conducted in the past. This is apparently due to the failure of the

Helderberg Municipality to involve supervisors during the training need analysis. The

Training Manager mentioned that there are group leaders called Steering Committee

who work as a communication channel with the managers and employees.

47

Armstrong (1988: 499) suggested that the simplest method of conducting training survey

is to go round asking managers and supervisors what they think are the training priorities

in their department. The results obtained may be subjective but as long as the survey is

comprehensive and the answers are analyzed carefully, they would prove a useful starting

point for more detailed analysis. The managers and supervisors must feel involved from

the beginning of the program. In addition, training analysis is partly concerned with

defining the gap between what is happening and what should happen.

The study looked at the procedures and methods used for conducting training and

development by the Helderberg Municipality. The Training Manager further mentioned

that their organization used Zest Solution as their training provider. Gildenhuys

(1997:122) argues that a budget is a financial statement containing the revenue and

expenditure estimates for a prescribed period, it should also reflect the policy goals,

objectives and aims for that period. In addition a good budget will enable the

municipality to supply the measure and quality of municipal services as required by the

community at lowest possible cost (Gildenhuys, 1997). A budget has specific functions.

A budget serves as a decision-making instrument, but is regarded mainly as an expression

of policy, source information, a working program and control instrument.

As stated in Chapter Three the problem the writer experienced during the research was

the failure of the Helderberg Municipality to give her the document of the budget. It

seems that the information in this budget is confidential.

48

The study also focuses to the needs and importance of training and development in the

public service. This part of the study shows the value of training and development

especially in local government.

Reddy (1996:49) argues that democratic local government would obviously reflect

people’s needs more satisfactorily and would result in the improvement of the local

citizenry’s quality of life. For Reddy, local authorities are created to render services in

defined geographical areas, primarily because of the inability of central governments to

attend to all the detailed aspects of government.

The last part of the study focuses to the reasons of training and development. Du Toit and

Van der Waldt (1997: 21) argued that the public sector has an obligation towards the

public to increase the general welfare. The public expects the best possible management

processes and service from public institutions. Several authors argued that training

reduces learning time and helps to obtain higher productivity.

According to Van der Westhuizen (interview, 2002) it is a given fact that no person,

irrespective of his/her background and academic qualifications is fully equipped for

his/her organization without further training. He mentioned that apart from those joining

the organization for the first time, even the experienced employee has a permanent need

for in-service training, due to ever-increasing changes in the technological and other

fields. In addition, training is not aimed at improving the employees knowledge and skills

with regard to their functional and administrative duties, but the acquisition of certain

49

virtues and attitudes like diligence, willingness, integrity, loyalty and responsibility is

also within its scope (Van der Westhuizen, 2002).

Du Toit and van der Waldt (1997:21) argued that South Africa is a developing country,

its resources are extremely limited and it is of cardinal importance for local government

to utilize the existing resources effectively in order to achieve greater satisfaction for all

South Africans (Du Toit and van der Waldt, 1997).

Cloete and Mokgoro (1995:91) argued that the new government would have to rely

heavily on the public service to implement new policy and facilitate development. They

also mentioned that the organizational culture and ethos of the old public service could

not be considered universal, its official neutrality has been worn thin by a term of

extended service under successive National Party governments. They mentioned that the

transformation of the current ethos and capacity of the public service is therefore crucial.

The current education and training system is largely geared towards training people for a

control-orientated public service, which is ill-suited to meet the future expectations.

There is an urgent need to build development capacity.

In addition, education and training will be necessary to smooth the transition process and

ensure long-term sustainability. The Training Board for Local Government (TBLGB)

was established in 1985, under the Local Government Act (Act 41 of 1985). It was

initially administered by the Department of Constitutional Development and Planning,

and is now administered by the Department of Local Government and Housing. The new

50

government is under tremendous pressure to address the development needs of the

country. The government will therefore need to ensure that its policies of reconstruction

and development are successfully delivered. They mentioned that the public service as it

is constituted at present is unacceptable to South Africa. The democratization of the

Public Service Commission (PSC) is of paramount importance. Trained personnel

identified by the democratic movement (political appointees) should immediately enter

into existing government structures affecting areas of concern at all levels of government.

The restructuring of the Public Service Commission, the Central Statistic Services, and of

all government departments at the central, provincial and local levels is urgently needed

in order to comply with the development needs of the state (Cloete and Mokgoro, 1995).

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5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS

On the 6 December 2000 a new council came into being, the new City of Cape Town.

This new council is an amalgamation of the previous six metropolitan local councils

(MLCs) namely Blouberg, City of Cape Town, City of Tygerberg, Helderberg,

Oostenberg, South Peninsula Municipality and the Cape Metropolitan Council. Today

Helderberg Municipality stand to be amalgamated into a Unicity with the other local

authorities in the Cape Metropolitant area.

I recommend that the City of Cape Town should be prepared and conduct training and

development for all these amalgamating local authorities. It must formulate the policy

and compile the budget for the program. The other point I recommend is that it must also

monitor and evaluate the program. For future, it will be helpful if the Unicity can have a

center for training all the public service who will be responsible only for training and

development in all these above mentioned municipalities. As several authors mentioned

in this research report, that training is a continuation process, those who are trained can

be responsible to all these different municipalities.

I also recommend that the South African Local Government is supposed to have its own

public Colleges like Ecole National D’Administration (ENA) in France to train the

officials who can be useful in future by conducting training programs for all

municipalities. More money should be used for this, because at the end it will be useful

instead of municipalities hiring private consultants who cost more money. Even other

countries can use the college and that could help generate funds for local authorities.

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I recommend that the Human Resource Department of the Helderberg Municipality must

work closely with its training structure to formulate relevant policies. The policy could be

helpful for the Training Unit because it will provide relevant information about

identifying the training needs for the program.

The research report noted that there was a lack of cooperation between the management

and the supervisors. I recommend that the management and supervisors need to be

involved from the beginning of the program and in all its stages. The report also raised

that the Helderberg Municipality uses internal and external trainers. This statement was

not clear for the researcher because, for internal training, they hire Zest Solution, which is

a private company conducting training for profit. Lastly, I recommend that the

Helderberg Municipality should have their own internal trainers who could conduct

training programs without focusing on profit.

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REFERENCES:

Andrews, Y. (1988). The Personnel Function. Pretoria: Haun Education. Armstrong, M.J. (1988). A Handbook of Personnel Management Practice London: Kogan Page. Armstrong, M.J. (2001). A Handbook of Personnel Management Practice London: Kogan Page. Bayat, S. and Meyer, I.H. (1994). Public Administration Concepts, Theory and Practice. Cape Town: Juta and Company. Beach, D.S. (1985). Personnel: The Managing of People at Work. New York: Macmillan. Byars, L.L. and Rue, L.W. (1994). Human Resource Management. United States of America: von Hoffman Press. Carrell, M.R., Elbert, N.F., Hartfield, R.D., Grobler, P.A., Marx, and van der Schyf, S. (1999). Human Resource Management in South Africa. Cape Town: Prentice Hall. Cheminais, J., Bayat, S., van der Waldt, G. and Fox, W. (1998). The Fundamentals of Public Personnel Management. Cape Town: Rustica Press. Cloete, J.J.N. (1997). Personnel Administration and Management. Cape Town: van Schaik. Cloete, F. and Mokgoro, J. (1995). Policies for Public Service Transformation. Cape Town: Juta and Company. Craythorne, D.L. (1996). Municipal Administration. A Handbook. Cape Town: Juta and Company. Craythorne, D.L. (1997). Municipal Administration. A Handbook. Cape Town: Juta and Company. Department of Labour. (1998). Skills Development Act, No.97. Cape Town: Government Printers. Department of Labour. (1999). Skills Development Levies Act, No 9 Cape Town: Government Printers. Du Toit, D.F.P. and van der Waldt, G. (1997). Managing For Excellence in Public Sector. Cape Town: Juta and Company.

54

Fox, W. and Meyer, I.H. (1996). Public Administration Dictionary. Cape Town Juta and Company. Gerber, P.D., Nel, P.S. and van Dyk. P.S. (1987). Human Resource Management. Pretoria: Sigma Press. Gildenhuys, J.S.H. (1997). Introduction to Local Government Finance: A South African Perspective. Cape Town: van Schaik. http://www.local.gov.za Mondy, R.W. and Premeaux, S.R. (1995). Management Concepts, Practices and Skills. Englewood Cliffs New Jersey Printice Hall. Noe, R.A.; Hollenbeck, J.R.; Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M. (2000). Human Resource Management; Gaining a Competitive Advantage. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Pearsal, J. (1999). The Concise Oxford Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press Reddy, P.S. (1996). Readings in Local Government Management and development. Cape Town: Juta and Company. Thomas, Z. (Training Manager). Interview: 15-05-2002. Tailor, V. (2000). Report for South Africa: Transformation for Human Development. Pretoria. Van der Westhuizen (Training Consultant). Interview: 26-06-2002. Watson, C.E. (1979). Management Development Through Training. Ohio Addison- Wesley Company. White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service. (1995). Government Gazette No. 16838 for the Public Service and Administration, Pretoria.

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APPENDIXES

APPENDIX A

INTERVIEWS:

1. Thomas, Z. (Training Manager) Interviews: 11 April 2002.

2. Thomas, Z (Training Manager) Interview: 15 May 2002.

3. Thomas, Z (Training Manager) Interview: 11June 2002).

4. Van der Westhuizen, H.P. (Training Consultant): Interview: 26 June 2002.

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APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE:

(i) What is the name of this Municipality?

(ii) Under which area does the Helderberg Municipality fall?

(iii) Does the Helderberg Municipality have a training and development

program?

(iv) Which department is dealing with the training and development?

(v) How many departments does this municipality have?

(vi) Is it possible if you can give me the total overall number of the

employees in this municipality?

(vii) Did your organization conduct training and development before Sector

Education and Training Authority (SETA) introduced it?

(viii) How did your organization organize the program of training and

development?

(ix) Who compiled the policy and business plan?

(x) How many Directorates does the Helderberg Municipality have?

(xi) What are the differences between the policy and business plan?

(xii) Why is the Training and Development Unit part of the Human

Resource Department?

(xiii) What are organizational needs?

(xix) As a Training Manager how did you get information from all these

functional areas?

57

(xx) Who compiled these questionnaires to gather information from the

employees?

(xxi) Elaborate on the Skills Results and Organizational Skills Demand?

(xxii) Does the Helderberg Municipality have trainers?

(xxiii) What is the reason for your organization using an outside training

provider?

(xxiv) For those who already have some skills what chances do they have to

further their studies?

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APPENDIX C

SOURCE: The Helderberg Municipality’s Human Resource Department

(Training Department) Functional Areas for the Purpose of Conducting

the Functional Needs Analysis in the Cape Metropolitan Area: 2002

(i) Economic and social development

(ii) Support service

(iii) Health

(iv) Protection service

(v) Electricity

(vi) Housing

(vii) Community service

(viii) Water

(ix) Waste water & cleansing

(x) Roads and construction

(xi) Technical support

(xii) Trading

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APPENDIX D

SOURCE: The Helderberg Municipality’s Human Resource Department

(Training Department): The Core Business Areas 2002.

1. Provision of Human Resource

• Human Resource Planning

• Competency Profiling

• Recruitment

• Selection & Assessment

• Placement

• Appointment

• Induction

2. Human Resource Administration:

• HRIS (maintenance &management)

• Personnel Records

• Benefit Administration

• Termination administration

• Pay roll Administration

3. Remuneration:

• Job Evaluation

• Benefit Development &Design

• Incentive Schemes

• Remuneration Research &Strategy

• Salary & Wages Structuring

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4. Human Resources Education, Training& Development:

• Staff Education, Training and Development

• Training Needs Analysis

• Career Development

• Social Development Programmes

• Compliance with & Implementation of ETD strategy

(SAQA & NQF, SDA, SDLA, EE etc)

5. Labour Relations:

• Collective Bargaining

• Consultation & Advice

• Local consultation

• Dispute/Case Management

• Discipline & Grievances

• Labour Relations Training

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APPENDIX E

SOURCE: SUMMARY OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT.

1. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT:

• Twins with Employment Equity Act

• Overall goal= and integrated skills development system which

promotes economic and employment growth and social

development through education, training and employment

service.

2. PURPOSE OF THE ACT:

• Development skills of South African workforce

• Increase return on investment in education and training

• Transform workplace into active learning

• Encourage workers participation

• Improve employment prospects

• Assure quality of education and training

3. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW:

• Act provides for governance structure and financial system

• National skills authority (NSA) and (Seta’s)

• National levy and levy grant system

4. FUNDING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SKILLS LEVY:

• Current levy is 1% of the leviable amount include salaries, overtime payment

leave payments bonuses, commission and lump sum bonuses

• SARS collects and distribute the levy-can also be paid directly to SETA

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• The levy collected is distributed as follows

- 20% to the National Skills Fund (NSF) &

- 80% to the SETA

5. FUNDING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT GRANT DISBURSEMENT:

• 1st year (1April-31March 2001) 50% of total levy can be

recovered in form of grants

• Grant A (15%) appointment of Skills Development Facilitator

(SDF)

• Grant B (10%) submission of WSP

• Grant C (20%) implementation and report on training

• Grant D (5%) discretionary grant for learnership and Skills

Programmes

6. GRANT DISBURSEMENT:

• 2nd year (1April 2001-2002) 70% of total levy could be recovered in the form

of grants.

• 15% for Planning-appointment of SDF and submission of Workplace Skills

Plan.

• 40% Implementation of training and reports

• 15% Discretionary grant for learnership and skills programmes.

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7. LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER AND RELATED SERVICES SETA

ROLE OF SETA:

• Development & implement a sector skills development plan (based on

individual workplace skills plans)

• Establish, promote, and register learnerships& skills programmes

• Perform the ETQA function for sector

• Disburse levy grants

• Liaise with NSA

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APPENDIX F

SOURCE: Noe et al., (2000) HUMAN REOURCE MANAGEMENT:

GAINING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

EVALUATION OF TRAINING PROGRAMS

Cognitive outcomes

Cognitive outcomes are used to determine the degree to which trainees are

familiar with principles facts, techniques and procedures of processes emphasized

in training program. Cognitive outcomes measures what knowledge trainees

learned in the program. Typically, paper-and –pencil tests are used to assess

cognitive outcomes.

Skill-based outcomes

Skill-based outcomes are used to assess the level of technical or motor skills and

behaviors. Skill-based outcomes include acquisition or learning of skills (skill

learning) and use of skills on the job (skill transfer). The extent to which trainees

have learned skills can be evaluated by observing their performance in work

samples such as simulators. Skill transfer is usually determined by observation.

Affective outcomes

Affective outcomes include attitudes and motivation. One type of affective

outcomes is trainee’s reactions towards the training program. Reaction outcomes

refer to trainees’ perceptions of the program including the facilities, trainers and

content. This information is typically collected at the programs’ conclusion.

Reaction outcomes are typically collected via a questionnaire completed by

trainees. Other affective outcomes that might be collected in an evaluation include

65

tolerance for diversity, motivation to learn, safety attitudes and customer service

orientation. Affective outcomes can be measured using surveys. The specific

attitude of interest depends on the program objectives.

Results

Results are used to determine the training program’s payoff for the company.

Results outcomes including reduced costs related to employee turnover or

accident, increased production, and improvements in product quality or customer

service.

Return on investment

Return on investment (ROI) refers to comparing the training’s monetary benefits

with the cost of the training. Training costs include direct and indirect costs.

Direct costs include salaries and benefits for all employees who design the

program; program material and supplies; equipment or classroom rentals or

purchases; and travel costs. Indirect costs are not related directly to the design,

development, or delivery of the training program. They include general office

supplies, facilities, equipment, related expenses; travel and expenses not directly

billed to one program; training department management and staff salaries not

related to any one program and administration and staff support salaries. Benefits

refer to what of value the company gains from the training program.

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